Little Mix
Little Mix are a British four-piece girl group formed in 2011, consisting of members Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall. They were formed exclusively for the eighth series of The X Factor, where they became the first group entry to win in the programme's eight-year history. Following their victory, they signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records. The group subsequently signed in the United States with Columbia Records. Little Mix have been branded the next Spice Girls as well as the UK's next biggest girl group capable of international success. After winning they released their first single, a version of Damien Rice's "Cannonball". They released their debut album, DNA, on 19 November 2012. Career 2011: Formation and The X Factor Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall successfully auditioned as soloists for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, but failed to make it past bootcamp's first challenge. However, the judges decided to give them another chance to be part of the Groups category. They were then put into separate ensembles by the judges during the group's bootcamp stage, with Edwards and Nelson in four-member group Faux Pas and Thirlwall and Pinnock in three-member group Orion. However, both groups failed to make it through to the judges' houses. A later decision saw two members from each group being called back to form the four-piece group Rhythmix, this sending them through to the judges' houses. They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by Tulisa Contostavlos. On 26 October 2011, Rhythmix announced that they would change their name following a dispute with a Brighton-based children's music charity of the same name, after the programme tried to trademark "Rhythmix". A spokesman for The X Factor said, "At the request of the charity Rhythmix, the members of the girl group Rhythmix have decided to change their name, a decision which has the support of Syco and TalkbackTHAMES." It was reported that the band decided to make the change, despite no legal reason to do so, to avoid any difficulties for the charity. On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the group's new name would be "Little Mix". On 20 November 2011, Little Mix became the first girl group in the show's eight-year history to progress past the seventh live show. The previous longest-surviving girl groups were The Conway Sisters (series 2) and Hope (series 4), who had both lasted until live show 7. On 11 December, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first ever group to win the show. Their winner's single is a cover of Damien Rice's song "Cannonball", which was released via digital download on 11 December 2011, and on CD on 14 December 2011. The Xtra Factor: The Winner's Story was shown on ITV2 on 17 December 2011. Their debut single topped the UK Singles Chart on 18 December 2011.They made the Christmas number one spot on the Irish Singles Chart, beating novelty songs by The Saw Doctors and Ryan Sheridan. 2012–2013: DNA Gary Barlow and Biff Stannard are rumored to be writing songs for their first studio album, although the girls have denied that any songs have yet been written by Barlow. On 25 January 2012, the group made an appearance at the National Television Awards and performed the En Vogue song "Don't Let Go (Love)". They also accompanied fellow judges Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos on stage to receive the Best Talent Show award won by the The X Factor. During an interview backstage, they confirmed they had been writing for their upcoming album and plan to release their next single soon. On 30 May, the quartet announced through a live stream via Twitcam that their debut single will be called "Wings". This stream was created after their filming session for Alan Carr: Chatty Man. The group performed the single for the first time at the T4 on the Beach concert on 1 July. "Wings" made its official airplay on BBC Radio 1 on 2 July. The single debuted at #1. On 25 July 2012, Wings video was published.Little Mix annonced their debut album in September 2012 called DNA which will release on 19 November 2012. On 1 October, Little Mix published a lyric video of their second single, "DNA", on YouTube. The music video was published on 19 October 2012. The group returned to The X Factor on 11 November to perform "DNA" and where also interviewed on The Xtra Factor and performed an acoustic version of "Wings". On 13 November, they were interviewed on Radio 1 and performed a cover of Mumford and Sons' single "I Will Wait". On 8 January 2013, it was revealed they signed a record deal with Columbia Records in North America. "Wings" will be released as their debut single in America later in 2013. On 3 February 2013, they released "Change Your Life" as the third single from their debut album, which charted at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. On 4 March 2013, it was announced that "How Ya Doin'?" would be released as the fourth single from their debut album. 2013-present: Second album On 14 March 2013, Little Mix have revealed to Digital Spy that their second album would have a more R&B sound. Nelson added: "I personally want to put a lot more dancey stuff in there. As in, one of the songs that comes on in a club that makes you want to dance. Not that David Guetta sound, but more R&B - a bit like Eve and Gwen Stefani's "Let Me Blow Your Mind". They also revealed that they would be starting to write material for the in the coming months. On 21 March 2013, Little Mix revealed their next single, "How Ya Doin'?" will feature Grammy Award-winning musician, Missy Elliott. Other projects On 31 May 2012, it was announced that they would release an autobiography, which will be released on 31 August 2012 by Harper Collins.On 20 June 2012, they revealed the artwork and title, Ready to Fly. In May 2012, Little Mix reportedly signed a deal with Vivid and Bravado to release their own range of products including dolls, puzzles, accessories and games. In June 2012, Little Mix were recruited by chocolate company M&M's to launch a limited edition range of the chocolates in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Members Perrie Edwards Perrie Louise Edwards, born 10 July 1993 (age 19), is from South Shields, Tyne and Wear. Born to mother Debbie Duffy and father Alexander Edwards. She also has one older brother, Jonnie. Her first audition was "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette. She is currently in a relationship with Zayn Malik from One Direction. Jesy Nelson Jessica Louise "Jesy" Nelson, born 14 June 1991 (age 21), is from Romford, London. Nelson was born to a single mother, Janis, and has three siblings—sister Jade and brothers Jonathan and Joseph. Nelson first worked as a barmaid before joining the group. Her first audition was "Bust Your Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan. Since joining Little Mix, she has faced cyber-bullying and struggled to cope during her time on The X Factor. Between March 2012 and March 2013, Nelson dated Jordan Banjo from Diversity. Leigh-Anne Pinnock Leigh-Anne Pinnock, born 4 October 1991 (age 21), is from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Born to Deborah Thornhill and John Pinnock and has two older sisters, Sarah and Sian-Louise. Their parents separated in 2006 and got divorced in 2009. Pinnock comes from a Bajan and Jamaican background. Before joining Little Mix, she worked as a waitress in Pizza Hut. Her first audition was "Only Girl (In the World)" by Rihanna.Since January 2013, Pinnock has been dating non-league Ashford Town player, Jordan Kiffin. Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall, born 26 December 1992 (age 20), is from South Shields, Tyne and Wear. She was born to single mother Norma and lived with her brother Karl. At first, she was a student and participated in various singing contests in the area. She is close friends with The X Factor series 6 winner, Joe McElderry, who is also from South Shields. The pair used to duet together. She has previously auditioned on series 5 in 2008 and onseries 7 in 2010, but only made it into the end of the bootcamp stage. Thirlwall has been compared to Cheryl Cole by The Mirror, who she says is one of her idols alongside Beyoncé Knowles. Category:Women's music